Jonathan Joseph fit for England vs Australia clash
Last Updated: 01/10/15 7:18am
Jonathan Joseph is fit to start for England in their crunch World Cup clash with Australia on Saturday and will replace Sam Burgess in the team, according to Sky sources.
The Bath star missed last Saturday's 28-25 defeat to Wales with a pectoral muscle injury, but he has been passed fit for a game England realistically must win to retain any hope of reaching the quarter-finals.
Brad Barritt will move back to inside centre and Joseph's Bath team-mate Burgess will start the Twickenham showdown on the bench.
Owen Farrell will keep his place at fly-half, keeping George Ford out of the starting XV.
The Joseph-Barritt pairing is Lancaster's first-choice centre partnership.
They had a quiet game in the opening win against Fiji but Joseph is England's greatest try scoring threat. He has scored five times in his last eight matches. Bath team-mate Anthony Watson has scored five in his last nine.
There will be an enforced change at No 8 where Ben Morgan is favourite to replace the unfortunate Billy Vunipola, whose tournament has been ended by injury.
Lock Courtney Lawes is a major doubt for the game with a knee injury so Joe Launchbury stands by to replace him.
England's under-pressure coach Stuart Lancaster will officially announce his starting XV and replacements around midday on Thursday
